January 6, 2026 • 52 mins
What if choosing sobriety didn’t mean giving something up—but gaining everything?
In this powerful Dry January episode of Women Road Warriors, Shelley Johnson and Kathy Tuccaro sit down with Kim Bellas, founder of the international movement Sober Is the New Cool, to explore how sobriety can unlock joy, clarity, confidence, and deeper connection.
Kim’s journey began in 2013 as a mother’s promise to her teenage son after he developed seizures and could no longer drink socially. Determined to show him that fun, belonging, and celebration don’t require alcohol, Kim chose sobriety herself—and never looked back. Thirteen years later, she’s living proof that a sober life can be vibrant, stylish, and deeply fulfilling.
In this inspiring conversation, Kim shares her powerful mantra—“Never ever miss another memory”and how it became the foundation of a global movement rooted in compassion, self-love, and holistic wellness. From walking in Fashion Week at age 62 to leading the International Recovery Walk across 35+ countries, Kim is redefining what recovery and wellness look like at every stage of life.
This episode is for anyone curious about Dry January, questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating mental health challenges, or simply seeking more presence and purpose. Kim reminds us that we’re all recovering from something, and every step toward wellness matters.
If you’re ready for hope, support, and a community that meets you where you are—this conversation will show you that saying no to one thing can open the door to absolutely everything.
✨ Sobriety is empowering.
✨ Wellness is a journey.
✨ And joy doesn’t need alcohol to shine.
https://www.soberisthenewcool.ca
https://youtube.com/@soberisthenewcool?si=YFSP6SpXkY7CdL6U
https://www.facebook.com/share/19CKzrPT2o/?mibextid=wwXIfr
#DryJanuary #SoberIsTheNewCool #SoberCurious #SobrietyJourney #KimBellas #HolisticWellness #MentalHealthMatters #WomenRoadWarriors
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
This is Women Road warriorswith Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tucaro.
From the corporate office tothe cab of a truck, they're here
to inspire and empower womenin all professions.
So gear down, sit back and enjoy.
(00:23):
Welcome.
We're an award winning showdedicated to empowering women in
every profession throughinspiring stories and expert insights.
No topics off limits.
On our show, we power women onthe road to success with expert and
celebrity interviews andinformation you need.
I'm Shelley.
And I'm Kathy.
(00:44):
Today's guest is a true forceof compassion, resilience, and reinvention.
Kim Belous is the founder ofSober is the New Cool, an organization
she created in 2013 after herteenage son developed seizures and
could no longer drink atsocial events.
What began as a mother'spromise to show her son that joy
doesn't require alcohol becamea personal transformation.
(01:08):
Kim chose sobriety herself anddiscovered a new level of happiness
and clarity and has neverlooked back.
She now celebrates 13 years sober.
Kim launched Sober as the NewCool to break the stigma around addiction
and mental health, to promoteself love and holistic wellness,
and to remind people of herpowerful motto, never ever miss another
(01:29):
memory.
Through global advocacy,community support, wellness practices,
and her own lived example, Kimspreads the message that sobriety
isn't about giving something up.
It's about gaining everything.
Presence, purpose, and a lifefilled with moments you don't want
to miss.
She since walked in FashionWeek at the age of 62, led the international
(01:49):
recovery walk with more than35 countries, and built a worldwide
community rooted in kindness,connection, and hope.
Kim Bellas is here today toshow that wellness is a journey.
Sobriety is empowering, andsaying no to one thing can open the
door to absolutely everything.
She has the perfect messagefor dry January.
(02:10):
Welcome, Kim.
Thank you so much for being onthe show with us.
Oh, my gosh, Kim, I'm sohonored to be here.
Thank you.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
Just a quick note.
I also have 13 years sober, so congrats.
It's amazing.
Time flies when you're havingfun, doesn't it?
I know.
I still can't believe it'sbeen 13.
I couldn't spend 13 minuteswithout a drink.
(02:32):
Now look at me now.
Holy crap.
So congrats to you.
Yes, congrats to both of you guys.
This is just terrific.
And Kim, I love what you're doing.
And this is exactly whatpeople really need to know because
it seems like our societylikes to medicate itself.
Oh, my God.
Yes.
And you know, over 13 yearsago, when my son was playing football,
(02:54):
and he started having seizures.
And we found out he wasepileptic, so he would never be able
to drink with his medication,or we'd end up back in the hospital.
So I said, you know, I'll stopdrinking for three months to prove
a point, like mothers do, andit's going to be 13 years.
January 12, 2026.
(03:16):
Wow, that's so terrific.
Yes.
And this is definitelymother's love.
And you're spreading the loveto everyone.
How did you come to theconclusion that you needed to start
a movement?
Well, you know, he.
Believe it or not, you know,he was so ashamed to tell people
that he was.
He couldn't drink even thoughhe was sick with epilepsy.
(03:38):
It had nothing to do with addiction.
So at that time, it was likemy, you know, I thought, okay, I've
got to talk about this.
So we talk about it like thesun, so he's not embarrassed.
So he's kind of used me as,you know, guys, you can't come here
with beer.
You can't do this.
You can't do that.
Because my mother stoppeddrinking for me.
So it relieved him of havingto talk about it.
(04:00):
And the first year that Istopped drinking, because after three
months, he said, see, now youcould be like everyone else.
I said, okay, I'll do anotherthree months.
And then it turned into a year.
But that first year,everywhere I went, people said, just
come in the corner, have a drink.
You never had a problem with alcohol.
There was like.
(04:20):
And I kept thinking to myself,I made a promise to my son, and if
I'm.
I was 52 at the time, so Ithought, wow, how is he going to
be able to get through thissocial situations when everywhere
I went.
And also at that point, I kindof, you know, every month that went
by, I realized I was sleepingbetter, I had more energy, I was
(04:44):
much more positive.
I had.
I just was more open to allkinds of things.
So we created Sober's, the newcool kind of on the kitchen table,
my sister and I, for him tohave a way to talk about it without
having to talk about it.
So he used me.
I used him.
And then we created a Facebookpage, not knowing what we were doing.
(05:08):
I trademarked the name don'task me why.
And the next thing I knew,from around the world, I was getting
comments.
How did you do it?
What do you do?
How can you get through this?
Can you help me with this?
And it just blew up.
It just happened.
It's terrific.
I mean, you have a ton ofsocial media followers.
(05:29):
Yes, oh, it's fabulous.
And you know, you're right.
It's like our society, it'snormalized alcohol and if you're
in a room with people who aredrinking, they're uncomfortable,
they pressure you to drink.
It's crazy.
That's so true.
And it's like they'reuncomfortable because you're sober.
(05:49):
And it almost makes it awkwardfor them, not for the sober people
because we're like, you know what?
If you would only see yourselfright now, you wouldn't be doing
that.
You know what I remember thinking?
Oh my God, I used to repeatthe same thing over and over and
over again.
What you started saying at 7o', clock, at 10:30, you were talking
(06:11):
about the same thing.
So I thought, thank goodness Idon't do that.
Right?
I was just in Cancun for, fortwo weeks in October and I, I ended
up going to Cocobongo wherethey pour free flow tequila everywhere.
And I think I pretty sure I.
Was the only sober one.
And no, I was with my, my, mygirlfriend and she was sober too.
(06:31):
But the two of us looking ateverybody else and by the time, because
we got there at 8:30 andpeople are just pounding it back
and I'm like, oh my God, imagine.
And I looked at her and Isaid, imagine what they're going
to look like at one when we eat.
Right?
And yeah, it was, it was kindof messy.
By the time we left, I said,okay, you know what, I've had enough
of this.
And the waiters kept going bytrying to pour alcohol down our throats.
(06:52):
And I'm like, no, I'm good,I'm good.
It was over the top, you know.
Yeah, People don't realize.
It's kind of like watching acircus that really goes sideways
when people are drinking.
If you're the only soberperson in the room, you could really
see this metamorphosis and itdoesn't turn out well a lot of times.
(07:14):
The other thing is, I wassaying, well, are they even going
to remember this tomorrow?
It was a five hour show andso, right.
They'll get up and like, oh, Idon't remember anything.
And that's where Kim's slogan,never ever miss another memory makes
so much sense because youforget stuff when you drink.
Yes, yes.
And you know what I realizedthat sobriety and not drinking is
(07:36):
really the tip of the icebergfor wellness.
It really, you know what, it'sall good when you can stop drinking,
but there's so much more.
You know, you have to feelthings and you have to be able to
really manage your life andnot forget, because that's what most
people do.
(07:56):
And unfortunately, I thinkthat a lot of people do drink or
do.
Do drugs because of trauma or sadness.
So I just tried to make it sothat, you know what?
We're all in this together.
I do a white party in New Yorkevery year, and women come from all
from Canada, the UnitedStates, from Europe sometimes.
(08:17):
And you know what?
It's women sitting arounddifferent tables, and everyone just
says, doesn't matter what theyused to do.
Me too.
Or I get it.
I've been there.
I've done that.
And, like, nobody is judgmental.
It's like they're talkingabout, you know, a diet or they're
talking about just about anything.
(08:37):
Like, it has.
It's almost like theconversation is like, talking about,
you know, exercise, wellness,sleeping, reading a book.
There's no judgment.
And I think that's the thingthat's the most important, that I
try and make people know thatthey matter.
They're, you know, thatthey're worthy.
(08:57):
They should have no shame.
And you know what?
And we're there, and there's alot of us that are there not, you
know, they're not alone.
There's a growing movement.
I think people have a realawareness about alcohol.
And I think people are reallyalso looking at the fact that medicating
yourself, which our societydoes, do they try to numb the pain,
(09:19):
numb the anxiety, deal withthe stress in a very unhealthy way?
I think people are trying tomaybe look more at that.
And certainly dry January,which I understand started actually
in the uk, is another way forpeople to just kind of try it out.
Yes.
And you know what?
It's almost like afterChristmas or after any holiday season,
(09:42):
everybody's kind of overeaten,over, drank over, you know, too much
of everything.
So they're kind of like,looking for a break to feel better.
Right.
And it's amazing how manypeople don't do just dry January.
They go now into February and March.
It's incredible.
It really is incredible.
(10:03):
Well, when you think about it,alcohol doesn't make you feel good
if you drink too much either.
Throw up, pass out, hurtyourself, say things you shouldn't,
tick people off.
You end up with fewer friends,and then you're hungover the next
day.
And you act.
You act like an ass, right?
Yes.
Yes.
And, you know, I think what'salmost the saddest part of it is
(10:26):
everybody just wants to feellike they belong or, you know, they
just don't feel like for me, anyways.
I never felt like I was good enough.
I should have been a doctor.
I should have been an accountant.
I should have been somethingother than who I was.
And that was part of the wholething of never feeling worthy.
And I don't want anyone tohave to wait till they're 60 years
(10:49):
old to feel like they'reworthy of just being them.
Yeah.
And that's what you're leadingpeople to see, which is excellent,
because you don't need liquidcourage to be yourself.
No.
Stay tuned for more of WomenRoad warriors coming up.
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Kathy Tucaro.
If you're enjoying thisinformative episode of Women Road
Warriors, I wanted to mentionKathy and I explore all kinds of
topics that will power you onthe road to success.
We feature a lot of expertinterviews, plus we feature celebrities
and women who've been trailblazers.
Please check out ourpodcast@womenroadwarriors.com and
(12:12):
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(12:33):
and other sites and tellothers about us.
We want to help as many womenas possible.
If Dry January has yourethinking your relationship with
alcohol, our guest todaybrings a powerful reminder that joy
doesn't come from a glass.
It comes from being present.
Kim Belis is the founder ofSober is the New Cool, an international
(12:54):
organization she created afterher son developed seizures and could
no longer drink socially.
What began as a mother'spromise became a personal transformation.
Kim chose sobriety herself anddiscovered clarity, happiness, and
purpose she never expected.
13 years sober.
Now she's breaking stigmaaround addiction and mental health
(13:14):
and living by her motto,never, ever miss another memory.
Kim Belous message is exactlywhat dry January is all about.
Kim, in our last segment, Imentioned that you don't have to
have liquid courage to be yourself.
That really is so true, youknow, and.
But we lose sight of that in.
Adulthood, and we all havegifts and different ones.
(13:36):
And, you know, I try and dothese things where.
That's kind of how I started.
This whole thing wasempowering people where I would say,
okay, every morning I'm goingto send you one positive word after
the words I am, and you haveto send me back a word.
And it had to be like, youknow, I'm funny or I'm artsy or I'm
(13:56):
lovable or I'm blessed.
And as we went on with weeksand, and months, people, it gets
harder and harder to say nicethings about yourself because it's.
People forget the qualitiesthey have.
They do well.
Those are some of the messageswe get from other people.
I think we have maybe a betterhandle on who we are when we come
(14:18):
into this world as children.
We don't have the inhibitions,and kids are willing to try most
anything and they're confidentunless they're told not to be.
So, Kim, when you first gotsober, what were some of the benefits
you initially saw and how didit get better?
Well, the first thing wasdefinitely sleep.
(14:40):
For me, that was, like, huge.
And the other thing was I hada lot more energy.
I was always kind of positive,and I had like.
I was like the class mom.
And I did all the things youwere, you know, worked for cancer
events, and I did all thethings you were kind of supposed
to do.
So from looking outside in it,it looked like I had a great, great
(15:03):
life.
But I was, I guess, and justnever felt like I was good enough.
So the first thing was the positivity.
I just started to feel betterand better.
I started new things.
I started, you know, trying tomeditate, which I'm still not very
good at because I move a lottoo, you know, around too much.
(15:24):
But I, you know, I did exercise.
I had so much more time on myhands to try and find new ways to
feel better.
And I met people that wereincredible from around the world.
Like, six months in, I had.
The UK was actually the firstplace that we're sending messages
(15:46):
on top of messages.
And it was women from the agesof, I would say, 40 to 65 and just
asking different questions.
How did you do it?
And I said, well, one of thethings I did was I went and had.
I Quit smoking with getting hypnotized.
So I thought, okay, I'm justgoing to get hypnotized for this
(16:07):
too, to take the edge off.
Because believe it or not, thefirst year, every restaurant I went
to, and I didn't go to toomany because I couldn't stand, you
know, the Italian place wasthe red wine.
The sushi place was.
Everything reminded me of liquor.
So I realized how much I was drinking.
And that in itself, you know,was unbelievable.
(16:30):
And if you see pictures of meat 40 and now I'm going to be 65
next month, I look betteralmost now than I did then.
You look fabulous.
You do.
You're honest.
They do.
You're beautiful, you know,and I just think that I was so the
part of not feeling goodenough and trying to help people
(16:51):
gave me a purpose.
I think that was the bestthing that happened to me.
I think that's what we're alllooking for, really.
A sense of purpose, of who am I?
What can I do for other people?
Maybe some people aren't thatway, but I think in general, people
want to help humanity in theirown little way.
And if they don't feel likethey are doing anything, they start
(17:13):
feeling really bad about themselves.
And that's where you get intothis really bad rabbit hole where
you start medicating.
Yeah.
And it's easy to do, isn't it?
Mm, it really is.
So you have some wonderful perspectives.
What kind of tips do you give?
People say they really have.
(17:34):
They may not realize that theyare addicted perhaps to the alcohol.
Some may be social drinkers,some may not.
And when they try to quit,they really have a wake up call.
What kind of tips do you havefor them?
Well, I think the first thingI try and remind them is just get
through the day, you know,whether it's a minute, whether it's
(17:55):
five minutes, you know, if youfeel like you're going to drink,
try and get up and go for awalk or move or pick up a book, because
you can't really read anddrink and read a book at the same
time.
Doesn't work.
I try and get them to focus onjust getting through that moment.
Because if you can just getthrough, you know, 20 minutes at
(18:18):
a time, and then, you know,every day if you just put your head
down and go, okay, I gotthrough today and not look, you know,
for tomorrow and the next day,and these, these people that you
know say, okay, you can neverdo this again, you know, to me, I
don't like that.
Never say never kind of ThingI don't judge anybody.
(18:38):
If they make a slip up, wejust start over again.
To me it's really aboutrebuilding their self esteem and
I think once they start tofeel better about themselves, it
makes it easier.
But I do tell them some peopleneed aa, some people need to do exercise,
some people need yoga.
(18:59):
I tell people to do as manythings as they need to do to get
through it and to reach out,not to be afraid to talk to anybody.
And I'm always available, Ianswer as many.
I mean, I'm a one woman show.
But now I have, I'm lucky.
I have a lot of ambassadorsaround the world that do this free
(19:20):
of charge that will go for acoffee with someone.
You know, sometimes peoplejust need to go for a walk.
So now sometimes what I'll dois on FaceTime, no matter where they
are or on WhatsApp, we do awalk and talk.
So I go outside, they gooutside, we see where each other
lives, changes their mind.
(19:41):
And you know, I just try toget them to be honest.
And you know, sometimesthere's not much I can say because
there's, sometimes there'ssuch trauma that you just have to
sit back and listen and, youknow, hope that they know that you're
there and you just try and getthrough each moment.
I think that's the key I foundso far is just being there and picking
(20:07):
up the phone and going for awalk and just making sure they know
that they really are worthy tobe and they deserve a great life.
They really deserve a great life.
The hardest part is picking upthe phone.
You know, it could carryaround so.
Much shame and oh, I don'twant to bother the, you know, and
(20:28):
they make up all these.
You become a prisoner in yourown mind.
And picking up that phone isso hard for, for some people.
Like for me it is like, youknow what, I, I had a lot of tools,
I had a lot of resources.
I mean I was in treatment sofor a year, so I was blessed that
way.
But eventually you got toleave treatment and you got to face
(20:50):
that big bad world.
So you got to use your tools.
And what has worked for me issometimes when I get fixated on the
thought of alcohol, it'schanging, stopping drastically.
That train of thought, likealmost like a give yourself a shockwave
so that your mind is focusedon something else.
(21:12):
And having a hobby has savedme, you know, because like doing
things with my hands.
When I remember when I firstquit drinking, I started giving talks
to women in recovery and kidsin schools and Youth in programs.
And what I did is I would takescreenshots of Facebook quotes, positive
quotes, right?
I'd go to Walmart, I'd printthem off for like 10 cents a picture.
(21:35):
And then I figured, oh,they're going to ban.
So I went and bought alaminator and a cutter.
So I would spend hours at homelaminating and cutting these quotes.
And it was keeping my mind occupied.
It was keeping my hands busy.
And it helped me because I'mgoing to go give this and to people
that would value it.
And when I would distributethem, they're like, oh, you'd see
(21:59):
these women go.
Oh, my God, I needed this.
How did you know?
And you know.
So it helped me do thatbecause I'm serving a bigger purpose
than myself.
No.
And I do.
One thing I've started doingis I have these tiny little white
hearts and it's called theWhite heart initiative.
And doesn't matter.
It doesn't necessarily alwaysend up for somebody that has a drinking
(22:22):
problem.
It could be just someone thathas some sort of anxiety.
And I just send these whitehearts out to people.
And when I'm walking around,I'll give out these white hearts.
And it's incredible because Ireally feel that every day when I
get up, I have messages andtons of them.
And there's something muchhigher than me.
(22:42):
I am Catholic, but I thinkthat there's something much bigger.
Call it the universe, call itGod, call it whatever you wish.
I just seem to be at the rightplace at the right time for the right
person.
And this is what's kept megoing for 13 years, is I'm always
someone will say, how did youknow to send me a message this morning?
(23:03):
And I don't.
I don't.
I just somehow they come intomy mind and I send a message.
And maybe that's the way thatthey didn't have to call me.
I don't know.
Stay tuned for more of womenroad warriors.
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Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
This is a conversation youdon't want to miss, especially during
(24:07):
dry January.
Kim Belous is the founder ofSober is the new cool, a global movement
rooted in compassion, wellnessand self love that supports people
achieving sobriety.
She started it back in 2013after her son developed seizures
and could no longer drink,sparking a realization that fun,
connection and confidencedon't require alcohol.
(24:30):
Kim shows sobriety herself andhas never looked back.
Thirteen years sober, she'sled international recovery walks
that involved 35 countries,walked fashion week at 62, and built
a worldwide community focusedon kindness and hope that helps people
stay sober.
Kim's here to remind us thatsobriety isn't about giving something
up.
It's about gaining everything.
(24:53):
She's been sharing valuabletips to achieve sobriety.
Kim, what you're doing forpeople worldwide is amazing.
Helping them to reach out andget help and support.
You're breaking the ice.
And certainly when somebody'smaking a change or they're stuck
in their addiction, one of thebiggest barriers is for them to pick
(25:13):
up that phone and to reach outfor help.
Because I think a lot of timespeople think nobody cares.
You know, there's somethingwrong with me, and I don't want to
admit there's something wrongwith me.
Right.
And, you know, I startedmaking T shirts and hoodies and I
give away more than I sell,believe it or not.
(25:34):
But now I have those bags forwhen you go to the grocery store
shopping and you cannotbelieve how many people will come.
And now it's mostly 30 yearolds that will ask me, what is this?
Sober is the new cool.
And I think that by, you know,I've very rarely had somebody be
negative about it, but mostpeople are really quite open and
(25:55):
they want to know more about it.
And I think the way I talkabout it and I wear, you know, it's
put on a jean jacket, it's puton things, and people think it's
cool.
It's not it, you know, it's no longer.
It's, you know, wellness is cool.
Right.
Eating well is cool, sobrietyis cool.
So I think that it's startingto change.
(26:17):
Kind of like when my kidsstarted driving that are now 28 and
30, they didn't drink and drive.
Right.
We did.
So I think we're finallygetting somewhere.
It takes time.
It does.
Like any change, right?
Yeah.
Human beings are stubborn.
Yeah.
Just a little bit.
(26:38):
In my case.
Oh, my God, maybe a whole lot.
I say to people, often,imagine if you had to give up chocolate
for the rest of your life, andthen people's face change when I
say that, because it's notvery easy to do what we do is hard,
you know.
Okay, so what do you have tosay about relapses, about people
(27:00):
who come and say, you know what?
I drank, but then I was sober,but then I drank again, and now I
don't know.
And, you know, is there.
I will never judge.
I say thank you for coming back.
Thank you for being open.
And let's find what happened,what triggered you.
Let's get through it together.
(27:21):
Let's start again.
You know, I know a lot ofpeople will go back to day one, and
if that's what they choose todo, that's okay.
I see it more like 365 days,less one.
You know, I find if we look atit like that, where it's less positive.
More positive because I didhave a young woman I met who became
(27:41):
the daughter I never had, andshe passed away last year, and she
did relapse more than once.
But you know what?
For all the moments that shewas sober, because it's very hard.
And unfortunately, noteverybody heals the same way, I guess,
or is fortunate enough to goto treatment or to have the right
(28:05):
people around them, because Ithink who is around you is huge.
The community, the people yousurround yourself with is huge.
You know what?
It is, because if you like, inmy case, being sober, I had many
relapses, and it took meexactly from 2006 to 2012 to finally
(28:26):
quit.
And when I did finally get it,well, my mother moved in, and she's
an alcoholic.
And so I'm finding bottles everywhere.
And I'm like, mom.
And my husband, at the time hewas sober, we quit the same day.
And I said, you can't bebringing this into my house, into
our house, because we bothstruggle, and relapse is really just
a drink away, like, one sip.
(28:48):
And so.
And it also, I had to setrules that you, you know, if you're
going to be here, I love you.
You're my mother.
But if you're going to be inmy space, you cannot drink, or I'm
going to have to ask you toleave, you know, and to stick with
those boundaries.
And it's hard, especially with family.
Yeah.
Yep.
Or friends.
And, you know, and, you know,at one point, you know, people would
(29:11):
say, well, you.
You should have tough love, oryou should do this or you should
do that.
It's so easy to say what youshould do.
Right.
It's, you know, because I wisheverybody would find God or I had
a magic wand and madeeverybody feel okay.
Like, that would be my dream.
Come tr.
Right.
And I wish she would havefound what she needed in life, my
(29:33):
sweet Natty, you know, but she couldn't.
So that's the unfortunate part.
So I, you know, I'm so happywhen I hear people get through relapses
and are able to get throughthe other side.
And I guess that's why after Ilost her, I thought, okay, I just
can't do this anymore.
Because for eight years Ispoke to her every day.
(29:54):
She was in London, England.
She made me do what she made me.
She asked me to do a tattoo.
And I'm a ribbons and bowskind of girl.
And I thought, oh, my God, aTattoo, you know, 53 or 54.
And.
And I got one.
We've got matching tattoos.
Did it on WhatsApp.
Her in London, England, and mein Montreal, Canada.
(30:15):
And, you know, it's my bestpiece of jewelry right now for the
rest of my life.
So, you know, those are thingsthat I think these last 13 years,
I.
Out of 8 billion people, Imeet the most incredible human beings.
I'm the lucky one.
I'm sorry to hear about Maddie.
Yeah, yeah, it's very hard.
(30:39):
My best friend, we didrecovery together in Wellsprings.
It was a year long treatmentfor women and we were roommates and
we were complete polaropposites and end up being best friends.
And she had eight and a half.
Eight and a half years.
We both had eight and a halfyears sober.
And when Covid hit, sherelapsed and she never did recover.
And she died in my house.
(31:00):
And in 2022 or 2021, I think.
And I still to this day is,what could I have done different?
How did I not.
Because I was helping her withtreatment, with, you know, going
back to gym or what can wehave for resources or.
You know, I'm racking my brainbecause I was so stunned that she
(31:20):
had relaxed.
I mean, her of all people, shewas traveling the world talking about
conferences, about humantrafficking, but she forgot the whole
self care part.
And.
Yeah.
So I had to accept that it'snot nothing I could do that I can't.
I can only help point the way.
She has to do the work.
(31:41):
Yeah.
But it was very hard.
So I understand.
And that's what I think is themost important, that, you know, everybody
tries to be a little moregentle with everybody because we
never know what somebody'sgoing through.
We just don't.
Isn't that the truth?
And people, some people tendto judge and it's so wrong.
(32:02):
You're not walking in their shoes.
You have no clue.
For you to judge someone elsebased on your own life experience
is totally unrealistic.
It really is.
And humans have a tendency todo that.
Yeah.
Nobody wants to get up in themorning and say, I want to be an
alcoholic or I want to haveanxiety or I want to have depression.
(32:23):
Nobody.
No.
And alcohol, I have heard, isone of the toughest things to kick
right along with opiates.
Yeah.
Mm.
Because it alters the brainchemistry, and it does so many different
things.
It's a vicious, vicious cycle.
And if people are really,really hardcore in their drinking,
(32:47):
it has to be done correctly,because people can die if they go
cold turkey without somemedical intervention.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's the other thing, too.
I.
You know, I. I've gotten to apoint now I do this international
recovery walk every year.
And so, you know, to getpeople to come.
The last two years, becauseI've done it in my own hometown,
(33:08):
Montreal, and the countrieswalk virtually around the world,
and they send in videos at thesame time.
And I've had to start sayinginstead of recovery wellness walk,
because so many people wereafraid in my hometown that people
were gonna judge them comingto a recovery walk.
(33:28):
And I thought, how sad.
You should be so proud.
Cause that's the biggestachievement you could possibly do
have in life, is being welland, you know, taking good care of
yourself.
It's true.
People are afraid of thestigma, and they want to quietly
not talk about it because theythink it could impact their social
(33:52):
life, their jobs.
Yeah, there's still that stigma.
Even though we have come along, long way from 50, 60 years
ago, where I think everybodydrank and you were just regarded
as kind of a weak and having acharacter flaw.
If alcohol became a problemand if it got out of hand, I mean,
(34:13):
people judge people, you know,or, you.
Know, like, you know, if I.
You know, I walk into a, youknow, like where.
When I travel and I have mysober is the new cool T shirt, and
some people want to go to thebar and have a zero beer, and people
stare.
You know, like when we didFashion Week and we came back, that
was a fashion event that wasdone for every person inclusive.
(34:37):
So I was the old lady.
And then there were peoplethat were different, sexual, you
know, described themselves, genders.
Yeah.
And then there was one girlthat was, you know, a breast cancer
survivor.
It was inclusive across theboard, the models that walk.
And after the fact, everyonewent to a, you know, a hotel bar.
(35:01):
And, you know, a lot of us hadthis social, sober stuff on, and
people were just staring at uslike we were like aliens almost.
And you know, it was quite, itwas quite funny.
And that by the end of thenight, people were very curious to
find out what was going on andwhat we were doing.
So I think the more we talkedabout it because everybody seems
(35:22):
to know somebody that has a problem.
The world is not perfect.
I mean, everyone has a vice ofsome sort.
If you really, really thinkabout it, you know, people may snack
too much, they like sugar,they like junk food.
And then there's that guilt.
I think it's the guilt that weexperience that stop us in so many
(35:44):
ways.
And you have a non judgmentalcommunity you've set up here which
is full of support, which ishow you champion change.
Stay tuned for more of WomenRoad Warriors.
Coming up.
(36:05):
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Our safety champions, thewomen of trucking, independent contractors,
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(36:26):
media.
Learn more at truckingmovesamerica.com.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
Dry January isn't just abouttaking a break.
(36:47):
It's about gaining clarity.
And our guest today embodiesthat beautifully.
Kim Belous is the founder ofSober is the New Cool, an organization
born from a deeply personalmoment when her son could no longer
drink due to seizures.
Determined to show him thatlife could still be joyful, Kim chose
sobriety herself anddiscovered a whole new level of happiness
(37:10):
and presence.
Thirteen years sober now,she's become a global advocate for
mental health, wellness andrecovery, reminding people everywhere
to never, ever miss another memory.
She helps people worldwideachieve sobriety and say no to alcohol.
She's here to show us howsaying no to one thing can open the
(37:30):
door to everything.
Kim, your group is making somuch change and helping so many people.
And I think the women, youknow, it's funny because when I meet
someone and I seem to helpsomeone, they even my sweet Natty,
she was helping women inLondon, England, you know, while
she was sober.
She was really giving back.
(37:51):
And I think a lot of thesewomen that do get help do help others.
And that's the best gift of all.
It really is.
And that's what it's allabout, you know, pass it on.
Yeah.
You have something on yourwebsite, Kim, that says the secret
to living your best life,Start where you are.
Breathe, move Laugh, love.
(38:13):
And that wellness isn't a destination.
It's how you live each moment.
Did you want to talk a littlebit more about that?
Because I really love that philosophy.
To me, it's like every day islike, first of all, the fact that,
you know, you get up and, youknow you have life, to me, is number
one.
You've got friends, you've got family.
And I think if people startthe day with a bit of gratitude,
(38:36):
I think that starts you off,because not every day do we wake
up and feel great.
So, you know, if we just saythank you for three things every
morning when we wake up, Ithink it kind of shifts the, you
know, the.
The way we think.
And if you can just try to benice to somebody just once every
(38:56):
day, it's amazing what itgives you.
And I think that that's thepart about the wellness, because
the more you do for others,the more you know what you really
are, the one that gets themost out of it.
And that's what I mean about wellness.
There's some pretty coolendorphins that we get when we help
other people and we get asmile from someone.
(39:19):
Yes.
Yeah.
And, you know, it's incrediblebecause, you know, sometimes you
get a feeling.
And I think that that's thething that people forget.
Like, sometimes I'll be walking.
Like, for example, I go to thesame Costco every week, and I'd buy
flowers.
That's my thing, instead of wine.
And the girl that gives theflowers to me all the time, I've
(39:40):
known her for years.
The nicest woman, Darlene.
And one time I was in thereand I just thought to myself, geez,
she doesn't look so good, youknow, happy or whatever today.
And I turned back around and Igave her one of my little white hearts,
and she hugged me, and shesaid, you have no idea the bad day
that I was having.
And, you know, right then andthere for why did I do it that day
(40:04):
out of all the other timesI've been there?
I don't know, but she's toldme over and over that that got her
through something that wasreally, really, really sad and trying
for that time.
So when you have a feelinglike that, when you see somebody
sad or somebody crying, go andtry and help them.
You know, we're all shy to trybecause we kind of, you know, feel
(40:27):
like we're intruding somehow,and we're not, you know, and if they
don't want the help, they'lljust say, no, thanks.
But it's Amazing how oftenpeople will be so grateful you stop
to say hello or you know, youdid something for them.
People need to know that otherpeople care.
And people today, I don'tthink they're getting that feeling
(40:49):
on social media.
There's a lot of meanness out there.
Ooh, my gosh.
Yeah.
And that's one thing I have tosay being on this, it's dry January.
I want everyone to be extracareful because all of a sudden everybody
seems to be a sober coach.
And everyone's told me in thelast 13 years, oh, you should say
(41:13):
you're a sober coach becauseyou help so many women.
I will not ever say thatbecause I think that that's playing
with somebody's life.
You can't take a course, a sixweek course or an eight week course,
you know, and help becausepeople are really fragile.
And I just want people to getto know the best people, people that
(41:35):
will be there for them, peoplethat will truly help them.
Because unfortunately a lot ofpeople can become coaches after six
or eight weeks or two monthsor three months on these courses
that they're taking online.
So I just wish that everyonegoing through Sober January, dry
(41:56):
January, just to find the bestpeople and surround yourself with
people that will go for a walkwith you, people that will do something
for you without asking foranything in return.
You know, I'm sorry, I'm goingto bring this to my work because
I'm working the first twoweeks of January or from January
(42:17):
6th on and a lot of the guysdrink like fish.
So I am going to do, I'm goingto say, hey, don't you know sober
is a new cool.
And check out this website.
It might help you when you getoff work.
Because a lot of some guys,they spend all 10, all, all two weeks
drunk.
Yeah.
And they come, oh yeah.
Like some of you know, there'sa lot of, there's a high divorce
(42:38):
rate just from our job beinggone two weeks and off two weeks.
But yeah, so I'm gonna say,hey, don't you know, sober is a new
cool.
And being having 13 yearssober, like my whole work knows that.
I think I'm one of the veryfew that is sober.
I'm gonna, you know, be theambassador for you up in northern
Canada.
Because I, I, you said you'refrom Montreal.
(43:00):
I work in northern Alberta, so.
And I am from Montreal, by theway, from Val.
Now my whole family's in Qu.
So yeah.
And I'm going to send you awhole bunch of little white hearts
and you're going to keep,you're going to keep them in your
pocket and you're going togive them to people.
When you feel that, you knowthat feeling that somebody just might
need a heart in their hand toknow that, oh, my gosh, it's great.
(43:24):
Normally I just put it insomeone's hand.
Sometimes I'll just say, justknow that someone's always thinking
of you.
Sometimes I won't say anything.
I don't put them on in theirhard hats because they leave their
hard hats, you know, but onthe table.
When they go in, in themorning, I'll put it by their bag
or kind of, they'll be like,what is this?
But I have to be, I'm gonnahave to be careful because they're
(43:45):
gonna.
Say, ooh, Kathy, you're nothitting on them, right?
No, no, no, no.
Don't you be getting the wrong idea.
You know, guys, there's onlysix women and 120 men.
So I don't want to be sendingout, Ooh, Kathy.
The wrong message, Right?
(44:07):
Absolutely.
So, Kim, can people reach outto you?
I'm sure there are a lot ofpeople who would like to join the
community and maybe reach outand get that support as they go on
their journey.
Yes.
You know, Instagram is reallythe greatest place to reach me.
My website is being redone.
It's still like, it's on, it'sworking, but it's not completely
(44:30):
finalized.
So you just have to go tosoberisthenewcool ca and on Instagram,
it's Sober is the cool newcool.
And you know what?
I answer messages from five inthe morning till late at night and
I'll get back to you or one ofmy ambassadors, well, if I'm not
(44:53):
in the same place, or we tryand find people that live nearby
or we just try and, you know,do the I am.
Because that is you.
You cannot imagine whensomebody wakes up and they go on
their phone and they get, youknow, I am lovable or I am smart
or I am blessed or I am funny or.
(45:15):
Because it just.
They kind of go, oh, yeah, Iam, aren't I?
You know, and it's, it's anice way to start the day and it's
a nice way to end the day.
And for people that havechildren or spouses that have a problem,
I tell them to get awhiteboard from the dollar store
and put I am on it and in thebathroom and every day, just put
(45:37):
it a word in the morning and aword at night for them.
Because it really does changethe way they start to see themselves.
It's a good idea.
It is kind of a.
Is a positive affirmation,isn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
And it's easy to do.
It's easy.
I mean, it's easy at thebeginning because there's a lot of
words, but then as you go, youknow, it does get harder, like compassionate.
(45:59):
And, you know, there's a lotof different words to describe somebody.
And, you know, that's thebeauty about being who you are, because
there's only one you, and youreally matter.
So here's a question.
Can anybody become an ambassador?
Yes.
Can I become an ambassador?
Yes.
As long as.
Be a good one.
My rule is as long as you arekind, you're non judgmental.
(46:24):
And in my 13 years, I've onlyhad to ask one person to unfortunately
not be an ambassador anymorebecause they were not.
They were a little judgmentalwith somebody that relapsed.
And I. I just feel that weneed to be as kind as we can possibly
be.
Absolutely.
Well, I'm gonna sign up.
(46:46):
I'm gonna be one of yourambassadors, because I am the perfect
person for that.
Excellent.
Kathy, I'm honored to have youas an ambassador, honestly.
Thank you.
So people can reach out to you.
And you said you have ambassadors.
They're all over the world.
So this gives people a localsupport system, doesn't it?
Yes.
And you know what we do, evenif sometimes we don't have, like,
(47:09):
someone will say, someone justgot out of rehab.
One young girl had sent me amessage and she had to move states
because, you know, not to getinto the same trouble again.
And she knew no one.
So I reached out to a wholebunch of young girls in her city
and, you know, only two endedup going for coffee, but that's all
she needed to meet other people.
(47:31):
And then I found like a.
You know, there's a place inNew York City now that is like a
social club for kids from 17to 30 where they can go and hang
out.
And it's a gift for them.
So I try and find littlethings like that for whatever age
they're in or if they're youngmothers or, you know, into yoga,
(47:52):
because apparently a lot ofpeople after yoga go for wine, which
doesn't work too well for someof us.
So I try and find people that,you know, are well suited together.
And it's amazing how small theworld truly is.
And community and networkinglike this, that's a terrific concept
and a great way to keep peopleon point.
(48:13):
You know, there'saccountability there and there's
compassion.
You've got people whounderstand you, and I think that's
what all of us are looking for.
I love your perspectives, Kim.
This is.
You've really started amovement here.
And I love how you saysometimes saying no to one thing
lets you say yes to everything else.
I mean, people are saying yesto their lives, aren't they?
(48:35):
Yeah.
And the one thing about myWhite party, the women that show
up come alone.
And when, by the time theyleave that night, they have made
friends forever.
It's unbelievable what happensat this white party.
Everybody just wears white.
(48:56):
I don't know if it's.
Cause everybody wears white,but there's some kind of magic in
the air.
And every year it gets biggerand bigger.
And it really shows you itdoesn't really matter where you're
from or what you do or who you are.
It's just a matter ofconnecting with other people.
So where do people find moreinformation on all of this?
(49:17):
I'm sure that there's going tobe a lot of curiosity.
People want to know how theycan connect with an ambassador, connect
with you, get involved, all ofthe above.
Well, then now there's goingto be a place on my website where
they can, you know, send amessage, and then we can give them
all the information.
All the information willalways be on my Instagram page.
(49:38):
Everything is there onFacebook, on Instagram, we're on
YouTube.
So it's quite.
But on Instagram, that's thefirst place I post because most of
the people are from that area,you know, that I might.
My age group is really from 25to 60, 61, supposedly on.
(49:59):
On Instagram and Facebook.
When all the things come up,the profile of my business, well,
it's not business.
It's a lifestyle, I guess.
And, you know, I think maybebecause I don't ask anybody for anything,
that's the best part.
Because we seem to attractpeople that want to give for free,
you know, and.
(50:20):
And that's a gift.
It certainly is, Mark.
You do that.
That's what life's about.
And human beings.
Oh, my goodness.
So people can look up KimBelas B E L L A S. And obviously
sober is the new cool thatwill give people the direction they
need to head.
I love the name of yourorganization and your.
Your movement.
(50:41):
It's terrific.
And our White party is alwaysin May, and the International Recovery
Walk is always in Septemberfor International Recovery Day.
And the rest of the year,we're just here.
And you know, we'll findpeople for you to, you know, communicate
with, go for coffee with, gofor a walk, go for a run, do an art
(51:01):
class, do yoga, do whatever itis you're looking for.
And you know what?
We're just, we're just allreally blessed to know one another.
That's what I think.
Kim, you're a blessing withwhat you've done here.
This is terrific.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
Oh my God, you are amazing inevery way.
(51:22):
We hope you've enjoyed thislatest episode.
And if you want to hear moreepisodes of Women Road warriors or
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And don't forget to subscribeto our podcast on our website.
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(51:42):
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(52:03):
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Thanks for listening.
You've been listening to WomenRoad warriors with Shelly Johnson
and Kathy Tucaro.
If you want to be a guest onthe show or have a topic or feedback,
email us@sjohnsonomenroadwarriors.com.
This is Women Road warriorswith Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tucaro.
From the corporate office tothe cab of a truck, they're here
to inspire and empower womenin all professions.
So gear down, sit back and enjoy.
(00:23):
Welcome.
We're an award winning showdedicated to empowering women in
every profession throughinspiring stories and expert insights.
No topics off limits.
On our show, we power women onthe road to success with expert and
celebrity interviews andinformation you need.
I'm Shelley.
And I'm Kathy.
(00:44):
Today's guest is a true forceof compassion, resilience, and reinvention.
Kim Belous is the founder ofSober is the New Cool, an organization
she created in 2013 after herteenage son developed seizures and
could no longer drink atsocial events.
What began as a mother'spromise to show her son that joy
doesn't require alcohol becamea personal transformation.
(01:08):
Kim chose sobriety herself anddiscovered a new level of happiness
and clarity and has neverlooked back.
She now celebrates 13 years sober.
Kim launched Sober as the NewCool to break the stigma around addiction
and mental health, to promoteself love and holistic wellness,
and to remind people of herpowerful motto, never ever miss another
(01:29):
memory.
Through global advocacy,community support, wellness practices,
and her own lived example, Kimspreads the message that sobriety
isn't about giving something up.
It's about gaining everything.
Presence, purpose, and a lifefilled with moments you don't want
to miss.
She since walked in FashionWeek at the age of 62, led the international
(01:49):
recovery walk with more than35 countries, and built a worldwide
community rooted in kindness,connection, and hope.
Kim Bellas is here today toshow that wellness is a journey.
Sobriety is empowering, andsaying no to one thing can open the
door to absolutely everything.
She has the perfect messagefor dry January.
(02:10):
Welcome, Kim.
Thank you so much for being onthe show with us.
Oh, my gosh, Kim, I'm sohonored to be here.
Thank you.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
Just a quick note.
I also have 13 years sober, so congrats.
It's amazing.
Time flies when you're havingfun, doesn't it?
I know.
I still can't believe it'sbeen 13.
I couldn't spend 13 minuteswithout a drink.
(02:32):
Now look at me now.
Holy crap.
So congrats to you.
Yes, congrats to both of you guys.
This is just terrific.
And Kim, I love what you're doing.
And this is exactly whatpeople really need to know because
it seems like our societylikes to medicate itself.
Oh, my God.
Yes.
And you know, over 13 yearsago, when my son was playing football,
(02:54):
and he started having seizures.
And we found out he wasepileptic, so he would never be able
to drink with his medication,or we'd end up back in the hospital.
So I said, you know, I'll stopdrinking for three months to prove
a point, like mothers do, andit's going to be 13 years.
January 12, 2026.
(03:16):
Wow, that's so terrific.
Yes.
And this is definitelymother's love.
And you're spreading the loveto everyone.
How did you come to theconclusion that you needed to start
a movement?
Well, you know, he.
Believe it or not, you know,he was so ashamed to tell people
that he was.
He couldn't drink even thoughhe was sick with epilepsy.
(03:38):
It had nothing to do with addiction.
So at that time, it was likemy, you know, I thought, okay, I've
got to talk about this.
So we talk about it like thesun, so he's not embarrassed.
So he's kind of used me as,you know, guys, you can't come here
with beer.
You can't do this.
You can't do that.
Because my mother stoppeddrinking for me.
So it relieved him of havingto talk about it.
(04:00):
And the first year that Istopped drinking, because after three
months, he said, see, now youcould be like everyone else.
I said, okay, I'll do anotherthree months.
And then it turned into a year.
But that first year,everywhere I went, people said, just
come in the corner, have a drink.
You never had a problem with alcohol.
There was like.
(04:20):
And I kept thinking to myself,I made a promise to my son, and if
I'm.
I was 52 at the time, so Ithought, wow, how is he going to
be able to get through thissocial situations when everywhere
I went.
And also at that point, I kindof, you know, every month that went
by, I realized I was sleepingbetter, I had more energy, I was
(04:44):
much more positive.
I had.
I just was more open to allkinds of things.
So we created Sober's, the newcool kind of on the kitchen table,
my sister and I, for him tohave a way to talk about it without
having to talk about it.
So he used me.
I used him.
And then we created a Facebookpage, not knowing what we were doing.
(05:08):
I trademarked the name don'task me why.
And the next thing I knew,from around the world, I was getting
comments.
How did you do it?
What do you do?
How can you get through this?
Can you help me with this?
And it just blew up.
It just happened.
It's terrific.
I mean, you have a ton ofsocial media followers.
(05:29):
Yes, oh, it's fabulous.
And you know, you're right.
It's like our society, it'snormalized alcohol and if you're
in a room with people who aredrinking, they're uncomfortable,
they pressure you to drink.
It's crazy.
That's so true.
And it's like they'reuncomfortable because you're sober.
(05:49):
And it almost makes it awkwardfor them, not for the sober people
because we're like, you know what?
If you would only see yourselfright now, you wouldn't be doing
that.
You know what I remember thinking?
Oh my God, I used to repeatthe same thing over and over and
over again.
What you started saying at 7o', clock, at 10:30, you were talking
(06:11):
about the same thing.
So I thought, thank goodness Idon't do that.
Right?
I was just in Cancun for, fortwo weeks in October and I, I ended
up going to Cocobongo wherethey pour free flow tequila everywhere.
And I think I pretty sure I.
Was the only sober one.
And no, I was with my, my, mygirlfriend and she was sober too.
(06:31):
But the two of us looking ateverybody else and by the time, because
we got there at 8:30 andpeople are just pounding it back
and I'm like, oh my God, imagine.
And I looked at her and Isaid, imagine what they're going
to look like at one when we eat.
Right?
And yeah, it was, it was kindof messy.
By the time we left, I said,okay, you know what, I've had enough
of this.
And the waiters kept going bytrying to pour alcohol down our throats.
(06:52):
And I'm like, no, I'm good,I'm good.
It was over the top, you know.
Yeah, People don't realize.
It's kind of like watching acircus that really goes sideways
when people are drinking.
If you're the only soberperson in the room, you could really
see this metamorphosis and itdoesn't turn out well a lot of times.
(07:14):
The other thing is, I wassaying, well, are they even going
to remember this tomorrow?
It was a five hour show andso, right.
They'll get up and like, oh, Idon't remember anything.
And that's where Kim's slogan,never ever miss another memory makes
so much sense because youforget stuff when you drink.
Yes, yes.
And you know what I realizedthat sobriety and not drinking is
(07:36):
really the tip of the icebergfor wellness.
It really, you know what, it'sall good when you can stop drinking,
but there's so much more.
You know, you have to feelthings and you have to be able to
really manage your life andnot forget, because that's what most
people do.
(07:56):
And unfortunately, I thinkthat a lot of people do drink or
do.
Do drugs because of trauma or sadness.
So I just tried to make it sothat, you know what?
We're all in this together.
I do a white party in New Yorkevery year, and women come from all
from Canada, the UnitedStates, from Europe sometimes.
(08:17):
And you know what?
It's women sitting arounddifferent tables, and everyone just
says, doesn't matter what theyused to do.
Me too.
Or I get it.
I've been there.
I've done that.
And, like, nobody is judgmental.
It's like they're talkingabout, you know, a diet or they're
talking about just about anything.
(08:37):
Like, it has.
It's almost like theconversation is like, talking about,
you know, exercise, wellness,sleeping, reading a book.
There's no judgment.
And I think that's the thingthat's the most important, that I
try and make people know thatthey matter.
They're, you know, thatthey're worthy.
(08:57):
They should have no shame.
And you know what?
And we're there, and there's alot of us that are there not, you
know, they're not alone.
There's a growing movement.
I think people have a realawareness about alcohol.
And I think people are reallyalso looking at the fact that medicating
yourself, which our societydoes, do they try to numb the pain,
(09:19):
numb the anxiety, deal withthe stress in a very unhealthy way?
I think people are trying tomaybe look more at that.
And certainly dry January,which I understand started actually
in the uk, is another way forpeople to just kind of try it out.
Yes.
And you know what?
It's almost like afterChristmas or after any holiday season,
(09:42):
everybody's kind of overeaten,over, drank over, you know, too much
of everything.
So they're kind of like,looking for a break to feel better.
Right.
And it's amazing how manypeople don't do just dry January.
They go now into February and March.
It's incredible.
It really is incredible.
(10:03):
Well, when you think about it,alcohol doesn't make you feel good
if you drink too much either.
Throw up, pass out, hurtyourself, say things you shouldn't,
tick people off.
You end up with fewer friends,and then you're hungover the next
day.
And you act.
You act like an ass, right?
Yes.
Yes.
And, you know, I think what'salmost the saddest part of it is
(10:26):
everybody just wants to feellike they belong or, you know, they
just don't feel like for me, anyways.
I never felt like I was good enough.
I should have been a doctor.
I should have been an accountant.
I should have been somethingother than who I was.
And that was part of the wholething of never feeling worthy.
And I don't want anyone tohave to wait till they're 60 years
(10:49):
old to feel like they'reworthy of just being them.
Yeah.
And that's what you're leadingpeople to see, which is excellent,
because you don't need liquidcourage to be yourself.
No.
Stay tuned for more of WomenRoad warriors coming up.
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(11:50):
Kathy Tucaro.
If you're enjoying thisinformative episode of Women Road
Warriors, I wanted to mentionKathy and I explore all kinds of
topics that will power you onthe road to success.
We feature a lot of expertinterviews, plus we feature celebrities
and women who've been trailblazers.
Please check out ourpodcast@womenroadwarriors.com and
(12:12):
click on our Episodes page.
We're also available whereveryou listen to podcasts on all the
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Check us out and bookmark our podcast.
Also, don't forget to followus on social media.
We on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube
(12:33):
and other sites and tellothers about us.
We want to help as many womenas possible.
If Dry January has yourethinking your relationship with
alcohol, our guest todaybrings a powerful reminder that joy
doesn't come from a glass.
It comes from being present.
Kim Belis is the founder ofSober is the New Cool, an international
(12:54):
organization she created afterher son developed seizures and could
no longer drink socially.
What began as a mother'spromise became a personal transformation.
Kim chose sobriety herself anddiscovered clarity, happiness, and
purpose she never expected.
13 years sober.
Now she's breaking stigmaaround addiction and mental health
(13:14):
and living by her motto,never, ever miss another memory.
Kim Belous message is exactlywhat dry January is all about.
Kim, in our last segment, Imentioned that you don't have to
have liquid courage to be yourself.
That really is so true, youknow, and.
But we lose sight of that in.
Adulthood, and we all havegifts and different ones.
(13:36):
And, you know, I try and dothese things where.
That's kind of how I started.
This whole thing wasempowering people where I would say,
okay, every morning I'm goingto send you one positive word after
the words I am, and you haveto send me back a word.
And it had to be like, youknow, I'm funny or I'm artsy or I'm
(13:56):
lovable or I'm blessed.
And as we went on with weeksand, and months, people, it gets
harder and harder to say nicethings about yourself because it's.
People forget the qualitiesthey have.
They do well.
Those are some of the messageswe get from other people.
I think we have maybe a betterhandle on who we are when we come
(14:18):
into this world as children.
We don't have the inhibitions,and kids are willing to try most
anything and they're confidentunless they're told not to be.
So, Kim, when you first gotsober, what were some of the benefits
you initially saw and how didit get better?
Well, the first thing wasdefinitely sleep.
(14:40):
For me, that was, like, huge.
And the other thing was I hada lot more energy.
I was always kind of positive,and I had like.
I was like the class mom.
And I did all the things youwere, you know, worked for cancer
events, and I did all thethings you were kind of supposed
to do.
So from looking outside in it,it looked like I had a great, great
(15:03):
life.
But I was, I guess, and justnever felt like I was good enough.
So the first thing was the positivity.
I just started to feel betterand better.
I started new things.
I started, you know, trying tomeditate, which I'm still not very
good at because I move a lottoo, you know, around too much.
(15:24):
But I, you know, I did exercise.
I had so much more time on myhands to try and find new ways to
feel better.
And I met people that wereincredible from around the world.
Like, six months in, I had.
The UK was actually the firstplace that we're sending messages
(15:46):
on top of messages.
And it was women from the agesof, I would say, 40 to 65 and just
asking different questions.
How did you do it?
And I said, well, one of thethings I did was I went and had.
I Quit smoking with getting hypnotized.
So I thought, okay, I'm justgoing to get hypnotized for this
(16:07):
too, to take the edge off.
Because believe it or not, thefirst year, every restaurant I went
to, and I didn't go to toomany because I couldn't stand, you
know, the Italian place wasthe red wine.
The sushi place was.
Everything reminded me of liquor.
So I realized how much I was drinking.
And that in itself, you know,was unbelievable.
(16:30):
And if you see pictures of meat 40 and now I'm going to be 65
next month, I look betteralmost now than I did then.
You look fabulous.
You do.
You're honest.
They do.
You're beautiful, you know,and I just think that I was so the
part of not feeling goodenough and trying to help people
(16:51):
gave me a purpose.
I think that was the bestthing that happened to me.
I think that's what we're alllooking for, really.
A sense of purpose, of who am I?
What can I do for other people?
Maybe some people aren't thatway, but I think in general, people
want to help humanity in theirown little way.
And if they don't feel likethey are doing anything, they start
(17:13):
feeling really bad about themselves.
And that's where you get intothis really bad rabbit hole where
you start medicating.
Yeah.
And it's easy to do, isn't it?
Mm, it really is.
So you have some wonderful perspectives.
What kind of tips do you give?
People say they really have.
(17:34):
They may not realize that theyare addicted perhaps to the alcohol.
Some may be social drinkers,some may not.
And when they try to quit,they really have a wake up call.
What kind of tips do you havefor them?
Well, I think the first thingI try and remind them is just get
through the day, you know,whether it's a minute, whether it's
(17:55):
five minutes, you know, if youfeel like you're going to drink,
try and get up and go for awalk or move or pick up a book, because
you can't really read anddrink and read a book at the same
time.
Doesn't work.
I try and get them to focus onjust getting through that moment.
Because if you can just getthrough, you know, 20 minutes at
(18:18):
a time, and then, you know,every day if you just put your head
down and go, okay, I gotthrough today and not look, you know,
for tomorrow and the next day,and these, these people that you
know say, okay, you can neverdo this again, you know, to me, I
don't like that.
Never say never kind of ThingI don't judge anybody.
(18:38):
If they make a slip up, wejust start over again.
To me it's really aboutrebuilding their self esteem and
I think once they start tofeel better about themselves, it
makes it easier.
But I do tell them some peopleneed aa, some people need to do exercise,
some people need yoga.
(18:59):
I tell people to do as manythings as they need to do to get
through it and to reach out,not to be afraid to talk to anybody.
And I'm always available, Ianswer as many.
I mean, I'm a one woman show.
But now I have, I'm lucky.
I have a lot of ambassadorsaround the world that do this free
(19:20):
of charge that will go for acoffee with someone.
You know, sometimes peoplejust need to go for a walk.
So now sometimes what I'll dois on FaceTime, no matter where they
are or on WhatsApp, we do awalk and talk.
So I go outside, they gooutside, we see where each other
lives, changes their mind.
(19:41):
And you know, I just try toget them to be honest.
And you know, sometimesthere's not much I can say because
there's, sometimes there'ssuch trauma that you just have to
sit back and listen and, youknow, hope that they know that you're
there and you just try and getthrough each moment.
I think that's the key I foundso far is just being there and picking
(20:07):
up the phone and going for awalk and just making sure they know
that they really are worthy tobe and they deserve a great life.
They really deserve a great life.
The hardest part is picking upthe phone.
You know, it could carryaround so.
Much shame and oh, I don'twant to bother the, you know, and
(20:28):
they make up all these.
You become a prisoner in yourown mind.
And picking up that phone isso hard for, for some people.
Like for me it is like, youknow what, I, I had a lot of tools,
I had a lot of resources.
I mean I was in treatment sofor a year, so I was blessed that
way.
But eventually you got toleave treatment and you got to face
(20:50):
that big bad world.
So you got to use your tools.
And what has worked for me issometimes when I get fixated on the
thought of alcohol, it'schanging, stopping drastically.
That train of thought, likealmost like a give yourself a shockwave
so that your mind is focusedon something else.
(21:12):
And having a hobby has savedme, you know, because like doing
things with my hands.
When I remember when I firstquit drinking, I started giving talks
to women in recovery and kidsin schools and Youth in programs.
And what I did is I would takescreenshots of Facebook quotes, positive
quotes, right?
I'd go to Walmart, I'd printthem off for like 10 cents a picture.
(21:35):
And then I figured, oh,they're going to ban.
So I went and bought alaminator and a cutter.
So I would spend hours at homelaminating and cutting these quotes.
And it was keeping my mind occupied.
It was keeping my hands busy.
And it helped me because I'mgoing to go give this and to people
that would value it.
And when I would distributethem, they're like, oh, you'd see
(21:59):
these women go.
Oh, my God, I needed this.
How did you know?
And you know.
So it helped me do thatbecause I'm serving a bigger purpose
than myself.
No.
And I do.
One thing I've started doingis I have these tiny little white
hearts and it's called theWhite heart initiative.
And doesn't matter.
It doesn't necessarily alwaysend up for somebody that has a drinking
(22:22):
problem.
It could be just someone thathas some sort of anxiety.
And I just send these whitehearts out to people.
And when I'm walking around,I'll give out these white hearts.
And it's incredible because Ireally feel that every day when I
get up, I have messages andtons of them.
And there's something muchhigher than me.
(22:42):
I am Catholic, but I thinkthat there's something much bigger.
Call it the universe, call itGod, call it whatever you wish.
I just seem to be at the rightplace at the right time for the right
person.
And this is what's kept megoing for 13 years, is I'm always
someone will say, how did youknow to send me a message this morning?
(23:03):
And I don't.
I don't.
I just somehow they come intomy mind and I send a message.
And maybe that's the way thatthey didn't have to call me.
I don't know.
Stay tuned for more of womenroad warriors.
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Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
This is a conversation youdon't want to miss, especially during
(24:07):
dry January.
Kim Belous is the founder ofSober is the new cool, a global movement
rooted in compassion, wellnessand self love that supports people
achieving sobriety.
She started it back in 2013after her son developed seizures
and could no longer drink,sparking a realization that fun,
connection and confidencedon't require alcohol.
(24:30):
Kim shows sobriety herself andhas never looked back.
Thirteen years sober, she'sled international recovery walks
that involved 35 countries,walked fashion week at 62, and built
a worldwide community focusedon kindness and hope that helps people
stay sober.
Kim's here to remind us thatsobriety isn't about giving something
up.
It's about gaining everything.
(24:53):
She's been sharing valuabletips to achieve sobriety.
Kim, what you're doing forpeople worldwide is amazing.
Helping them to reach out andget help and support.
You're breaking the ice.
And certainly when somebody'smaking a change or they're stuck
in their addiction, one of thebiggest barriers is for them to pick
(25:13):
up that phone and to reach outfor help.
Because I think a lot of timespeople think nobody cares.
You know, there's somethingwrong with me, and I don't want to
admit there's something wrongwith me.
Right.
And, you know, I startedmaking T shirts and hoodies and I
give away more than I sell,believe it or not.
(25:34):
But now I have those bags forwhen you go to the grocery store
shopping and you cannotbelieve how many people will come.
And now it's mostly 30 yearolds that will ask me, what is this?
Sober is the new cool.
And I think that by, you know,I've very rarely had somebody be
negative about it, but mostpeople are really quite open and
(25:55):
they want to know more about it.
And I think the way I talkabout it and I wear, you know, it's
put on a jean jacket, it's puton things, and people think it's
cool.
It's not it, you know, it's no longer.
It's, you know, wellness is cool.
Right.
Eating well is cool, sobrietyis cool.
So I think that it's startingto change.
(26:17):
Kind of like when my kidsstarted driving that are now 28 and
30, they didn't drink and drive.
Right.
We did.
So I think we're finallygetting somewhere.
It takes time.
It does.
Like any change, right?
Yeah.
Human beings are stubborn.
Yeah.
Just a little bit.
(26:38):
In my case.
Oh, my God, maybe a whole lot.
I say to people, often,imagine if you had to give up chocolate
for the rest of your life, andthen people's face change when I
say that, because it's notvery easy to do what we do is hard,
you know.
Okay, so what do you have tosay about relapses, about people
(27:00):
who come and say, you know what?
I drank, but then I was sober,but then I drank again, and now I
don't know.
And, you know, is there.
I will never judge.
I say thank you for coming back.
Thank you for being open.
And let's find what happened,what triggered you.
Let's get through it together.
(27:21):
Let's start again.
You know, I know a lot ofpeople will go back to day one, and
if that's what they choose todo, that's okay.
I see it more like 365 days,less one.
You know, I find if we look atit like that, where it's less positive.
More positive because I didhave a young woman I met who became
(27:41):
the daughter I never had, andshe passed away last year, and she
did relapse more than once.
But you know what?
For all the moments that shewas sober, because it's very hard.
And unfortunately, noteverybody heals the same way, I guess,
or is fortunate enough to goto treatment or to have the right
(28:05):
people around them, because Ithink who is around you is huge.
The community, the people yousurround yourself with is huge.
You know what?
It is, because if you like, inmy case, being sober, I had many
relapses, and it took meexactly from 2006 to 2012 to finally
(28:26):
quit.
And when I did finally get it,well, my mother moved in, and she's
an alcoholic.
And so I'm finding bottles everywhere.
And I'm like, mom.
And my husband, at the time hewas sober, we quit the same day.
And I said, you can't bebringing this into my house, into
our house, because we bothstruggle, and relapse is really just
a drink away, like, one sip.
(28:48):
And so.
And it also, I had to setrules that you, you know, if you're
going to be here, I love you.
You're my mother.
But if you're going to be inmy space, you cannot drink, or I'm
going to have to ask you toleave, you know, and to stick with
those boundaries.
And it's hard, especially with family.
Yeah.
Yep.
Or friends.
And, you know, and, you know,at one point, you know, people would
(29:11):
say, well, you.
You should have tough love, oryou should do this or you should
do that.
It's so easy to say what youshould do.
Right.
It's, you know, because I wisheverybody would find God or I had
a magic wand and madeeverybody feel okay.
Like, that would be my dream.
Come tr.
Right.
And I wish she would havefound what she needed in life, my
(29:33):
sweet Natty, you know, but she couldn't.
So that's the unfortunate part.
So I, you know, I'm so happywhen I hear people get through relapses
and are able to get throughthe other side.
And I guess that's why after Ilost her, I thought, okay, I just
can't do this anymore.
Because for eight years Ispoke to her every day.
(29:54):
She was in London, England.
She made me do what she made me.
She asked me to do a tattoo.
And I'm a ribbons and bowskind of girl.
And I thought, oh, my God, aTattoo, you know, 53 or 54.
And.
And I got one.
We've got matching tattoos.
Did it on WhatsApp.
Her in London, England, and mein Montreal, Canada.
(30:15):
And, you know, it's my bestpiece of jewelry right now for the
rest of my life.
So, you know, those are thingsthat I think these last 13 years,
I.
Out of 8 billion people, Imeet the most incredible human beings.
I'm the lucky one.
I'm sorry to hear about Maddie.
Yeah, yeah, it's very hard.
(30:39):
My best friend, we didrecovery together in Wellsprings.
It was a year long treatmentfor women and we were roommates and
we were complete polaropposites and end up being best friends.
And she had eight and a half.
Eight and a half years.
We both had eight and a halfyears sober.
And when Covid hit, sherelapsed and she never did recover.
And she died in my house.
(31:00):
And in 2022 or 2021, I think.
And I still to this day is,what could I have done different?
How did I not.
Because I was helping her withtreatment, with, you know, going
back to gym or what can wehave for resources or.
You know, I'm racking my brainbecause I was so stunned that she
(31:20):
had relaxed.
I mean, her of all people, shewas traveling the world talking about
conferences, about humantrafficking, but she forgot the whole
self care part.
And.
Yeah.
So I had to accept that it'snot nothing I could do that I can't.
I can only help point the way.
She has to do the work.
(31:41):
Yeah.
But it was very hard.
So I understand.
And that's what I think is themost important, that, you know, everybody
tries to be a little moregentle with everybody because we
never know what somebody'sgoing through.
We just don't.
Isn't that the truth?
And people, some people tendto judge and it's so wrong.
(32:02):
You're not walking in their shoes.
You have no clue.
For you to judge someone elsebased on your own life experience
is totally unrealistic.
It really is.
And humans have a tendency todo that.
Yeah.
Nobody wants to get up in themorning and say, I want to be an
alcoholic or I want to haveanxiety or I want to have depression.
(32:23):
Nobody.
No.
And alcohol, I have heard, isone of the toughest things to kick
right along with opiates.
Yeah.
Mm.
Because it alters the brainchemistry, and it does so many different
things.
It's a vicious, vicious cycle.
And if people are really,really hardcore in their drinking,
(32:47):
it has to be done correctly,because people can die if they go
cold turkey without somemedical intervention.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's the other thing, too.
I.
You know, I. I've gotten to apoint now I do this international
recovery walk every year.
And so, you know, to getpeople to come.
The last two years, becauseI've done it in my own hometown,
(33:08):
Montreal, and the countrieswalk virtually around the world,
and they send in videos at thesame time.
And I've had to start sayinginstead of recovery wellness walk,
because so many people wereafraid in my hometown that people
were gonna judge them comingto a recovery walk.
(33:28):
And I thought, how sad.
You should be so proud.
Cause that's the biggestachievement you could possibly do
have in life, is being welland, you know, taking good care of
yourself.
It's true.
People are afraid of thestigma, and they want to quietly
not talk about it because theythink it could impact their social
(33:52):
life, their jobs.
Yeah, there's still that stigma.
Even though we have come along, long way from 50, 60 years
ago, where I think everybodydrank and you were just regarded
as kind of a weak and having acharacter flaw.
If alcohol became a problemand if it got out of hand, I mean,
(34:13):
people judge people, you know,or, you.
Know, like, you know, if I.
You know, I walk into a, youknow, like where.
When I travel and I have mysober is the new cool T shirt, and
some people want to go to thebar and have a zero beer, and people
stare.
You know, like when we didFashion Week and we came back, that
was a fashion event that wasdone for every person inclusive.
(34:37):
So I was the old lady.
And then there were peoplethat were different, sexual, you
know, described themselves, genders.
Yeah.
And then there was one girlthat was, you know, a breast cancer
survivor.
It was inclusive across theboard, the models that walk.
And after the fact, everyonewent to a, you know, a hotel bar.
(35:01):
And, you know, a lot of us hadthis social, sober stuff on, and
people were just staring at uslike we were like aliens almost.
And you know, it was quite, itwas quite funny.
And that by the end of thenight, people were very curious to
find out what was going on andwhat we were doing.
So I think the more we talkedabout it because everybody seems
(35:22):
to know somebody that has a problem.
The world is not perfect.
I mean, everyone has a vice ofsome sort.
If you really, really thinkabout it, you know, people may snack
too much, they like sugar,they like junk food.
And then there's that guilt.
I think it's the guilt that weexperience that stop us in so many
(35:44):
ways.
And you have a non judgmentalcommunity you've set up here which
is full of support, which ishow you champion change.
Stay tuned for more of WomenRoad Warriors.
Coming up.
(36:05):
Industry movement, TruckingMoves America Forward is telling
the story of the industry.
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(36:26):
media.
Learn more at truckingmovesamerica.com.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
Dry January isn't just abouttaking a break.
(36:47):
It's about gaining clarity.
And our guest today embodiesthat beautifully.
Kim Belous is the founder ofSober is the New Cool, an organization
born from a deeply personalmoment when her son could no longer
drink due to seizures.
Determined to show him thatlife could still be joyful, Kim chose
sobriety herself anddiscovered a whole new level of happiness
(37:10):
and presence.
Thirteen years sober now,she's become a global advocate for
mental health, wellness andrecovery, reminding people everywhere
to never, ever miss another memory.
She helps people worldwideachieve sobriety and say no to alcohol.
She's here to show us howsaying no to one thing can open the
(37:30):
door to everything.
Kim, your group is making somuch change and helping so many people.
And I think the women, youknow, it's funny because when I meet
someone and I seem to helpsomeone, they even my sweet Natty,
she was helping women inLondon, England, you know, while
she was sober.
She was really giving back.
(37:51):
And I think a lot of thesewomen that do get help do help others.
And that's the best gift of all.
It really is.
And that's what it's allabout, you know, pass it on.
Yeah.
You have something on yourwebsite, Kim, that says the secret
to living your best life,Start where you are.
Breathe, move Laugh, love.
(38:13):
And that wellness isn't a destination.
It's how you live each moment.
Did you want to talk a littlebit more about that?
Because I really love that philosophy.
To me, it's like every day islike, first of all, the fact that,
you know, you get up and, youknow you have life, to me, is number
one.
You've got friends, you've got family.
And I think if people startthe day with a bit of gratitude,
(38:36):
I think that starts you off,because not every day do we wake
up and feel great.
So, you know, if we just saythank you for three things every
morning when we wake up, Ithink it kind of shifts the, you
know, the.
The way we think.
And if you can just try to benice to somebody just once every
(38:56):
day, it's amazing what itgives you.
And I think that that's thepart about the wellness, because
the more you do for others,the more you know what you really
are, the one that gets themost out of it.
And that's what I mean about wellness.
There's some pretty coolendorphins that we get when we help
other people and we get asmile from someone.
(39:19):
Yes.
Yeah.
And, you know, it's incrediblebecause, you know, sometimes you
get a feeling.
And I think that that's thething that people forget.
Like, sometimes I'll be walking.
Like, for example, I go to thesame Costco every week, and I'd buy
flowers.
That's my thing, instead of wine.
And the girl that gives theflowers to me all the time, I've
(39:40):
known her for years.
The nicest woman, Darlene.
And one time I was in thereand I just thought to myself, geez,
she doesn't look so good, youknow, happy or whatever today.
And I turned back around and Igave her one of my little white hearts,
and she hugged me, and shesaid, you have no idea the bad day
that I was having.
And, you know, right then andthere for why did I do it that day
(40:04):
out of all the other timesI've been there?
I don't know, but she's toldme over and over that that got her
through something that wasreally, really, really sad and trying
for that time.
So when you have a feelinglike that, when you see somebody
sad or somebody crying, go andtry and help them.
You know, we're all shy to trybecause we kind of, you know, feel
(40:27):
like we're intruding somehow,and we're not, you know, and if they
don't want the help, they'lljust say, no, thanks.
But it's Amazing how oftenpeople will be so grateful you stop
to say hello or you know, youdid something for them.
People need to know that otherpeople care.
And people today, I don'tthink they're getting that feeling
(40:49):
on social media.
There's a lot of meanness out there.
Ooh, my gosh.
Yeah.
And that's one thing I have tosay being on this, it's dry January.
I want everyone to be extracareful because all of a sudden everybody
seems to be a sober coach.
And everyone's told me in thelast 13 years, oh, you should say
(41:13):
you're a sober coach becauseyou help so many women.
I will not ever say thatbecause I think that that's playing
with somebody's life.
You can't take a course, a sixweek course or an eight week course,
you know, and help becausepeople are really fragile.
And I just want people to getto know the best people, people that
(41:35):
will be there for them, peoplethat will truly help them.
Because unfortunately a lot ofpeople can become coaches after six
or eight weeks or two monthsor three months on these courses
that they're taking online.
So I just wish that everyonegoing through Sober January, dry
(41:56):
January, just to find the bestpeople and surround yourself with
people that will go for a walkwith you, people that will do something
for you without asking foranything in return.
You know, I'm sorry, I'm goingto bring this to my work because
I'm working the first twoweeks of January or from January
(42:17):
6th on and a lot of the guysdrink like fish.
So I am going to do, I'm goingto say, hey, don't you know sober
is a new cool.
And check out this website.
It might help you when you getoff work.
Because a lot of some guys,they spend all 10, all, all two weeks
drunk.
Yeah.
And they come, oh yeah.
Like some of you know, there'sa lot of, there's a high divorce
(42:38):
rate just from our job beinggone two weeks and off two weeks.
But yeah, so I'm gonna say,hey, don't you know, sober is a new
cool.
And being having 13 yearssober, like my whole work knows that.
I think I'm one of the veryfew that is sober.
I'm gonna, you know, be theambassador for you up in northern
Canada.
Because I, I, you said you'refrom Montreal.
(43:00):
I work in northern Alberta, so.
And I am from Montreal, by theway, from Val.
Now my whole family's in Qu.
So yeah.
And I'm going to send you awhole bunch of little white hearts
and you're going to keep,you're going to keep them in your
pocket and you're going togive them to people.
When you feel that, you knowthat feeling that somebody just might
need a heart in their hand toknow that, oh, my gosh, it's great.
(43:24):
Normally I just put it insomeone's hand.
Sometimes I'll just say, justknow that someone's always thinking
of you.
Sometimes I won't say anything.
I don't put them on in theirhard hats because they leave their
hard hats, you know, but onthe table.
When they go in, in themorning, I'll put it by their bag
or kind of, they'll be like,what is this?
But I have to be, I'm gonnahave to be careful because they're
(43:45):
gonna.
Say, ooh, Kathy, you're nothitting on them, right?
No, no, no, no.
Don't you be getting the wrong idea.
You know, guys, there's onlysix women and 120 men.
So I don't want to be sendingout, Ooh, Kathy.
The wrong message, Right?
(44:07):
Absolutely.
So, Kim, can people reach outto you?
I'm sure there are a lot ofpeople who would like to join the
community and maybe reach outand get that support as they go on
their journey.
Yes.
You know, Instagram is reallythe greatest place to reach me.
My website is being redone.
It's still like, it's on, it'sworking, but it's not completely
(44:30):
finalized.
So you just have to go tosoberisthenewcool ca and on Instagram,
it's Sober is the cool newcool.
And you know what?
I answer messages from five inthe morning till late at night and
I'll get back to you or one ofmy ambassadors, well, if I'm not
(44:53):
in the same place, or we tryand find people that live nearby
or we just try and, you know,do the I am.
Because that is you.
You cannot imagine whensomebody wakes up and they go on
their phone and they get, youknow, I am lovable or I am smart
or I am blessed or I am funny or.
(45:15):
Because it just.
They kind of go, oh, yeah, Iam, aren't I?
You know, and it's, it's anice way to start the day and it's
a nice way to end the day.
And for people that havechildren or spouses that have a problem,
I tell them to get awhiteboard from the dollar store
and put I am on it and in thebathroom and every day, just put
(45:37):
it a word in the morning and aword at night for them.
Because it really does changethe way they start to see themselves.
It's a good idea.
It is kind of a.
Is a positive affirmation,isn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
And it's easy to do.
It's easy.
I mean, it's easy at thebeginning because there's a lot of
words, but then as you go, youknow, it does get harder, like compassionate.
(45:59):
And, you know, there's a lotof different words to describe somebody.
And, you know, that's thebeauty about being who you are, because
there's only one you, and youreally matter.
So here's a question.
Can anybody become an ambassador?
Yes.
Can I become an ambassador?
Yes.
As long as.
Be a good one.
My rule is as long as you arekind, you're non judgmental.
(46:24):
And in my 13 years, I've onlyhad to ask one person to unfortunately
not be an ambassador anymorebecause they were not.
They were a little judgmentalwith somebody that relapsed.
And I. I just feel that weneed to be as kind as we can possibly
be.
Absolutely.
Well, I'm gonna sign up.
(46:46):
I'm gonna be one of yourambassadors, because I am the perfect
person for that.
Excellent.
Kathy, I'm honored to have youas an ambassador, honestly.
Thank you.
So people can reach out to you.
And you said you have ambassadors.
They're all over the world.
So this gives people a localsupport system, doesn't it?
Yes.
And you know what we do, evenif sometimes we don't have, like,
(47:09):
someone will say, someone justgot out of rehab.
One young girl had sent me amessage and she had to move states
because, you know, not to getinto the same trouble again.
And she knew no one.
So I reached out to a wholebunch of young girls in her city
and, you know, only two endedup going for coffee, but that's all
she needed to meet other people.
(47:31):
And then I found like a.
You know, there's a place inNew York City now that is like a
social club for kids from 17to 30 where they can go and hang
out.
And it's a gift for them.
So I try and find littlethings like that for whatever age
they're in or if they're youngmothers or, you know, into yoga,
(47:52):
because apparently a lot ofpeople after yoga go for wine, which
doesn't work too well for someof us.
So I try and find people that,you know, are well suited together.
And it's amazing how small theworld truly is.
And community and networkinglike this, that's a terrific concept
and a great way to keep peopleon point.
(48:13):
You know, there'saccountability there and there's
compassion.
You've got people whounderstand you, and I think that's
what all of us are looking for.
I love your perspectives, Kim.
This is.
You've really started amovement here.
And I love how you saysometimes saying no to one thing
lets you say yes to everything else.
I mean, people are saying yesto their lives, aren't they?
(48:35):
Yeah.
And the one thing about myWhite party, the women that show
up come alone.
And when, by the time theyleave that night, they have made
friends forever.
It's unbelievable what happensat this white party.
Everybody just wears white.
(48:56):
I don't know if it's.
Cause everybody wears white,but there's some kind of magic in
the air.
And every year it gets biggerand bigger.
And it really shows you itdoesn't really matter where you're
from or what you do or who you are.
It's just a matter ofconnecting with other people.
So where do people find moreinformation on all of this?
(49:17):
I'm sure that there's going tobe a lot of curiosity.
People want to know how theycan connect with an ambassador, connect
with you, get involved, all ofthe above.
Well, then now there's goingto be a place on my website where
they can, you know, send amessage, and then we can give them
all the information.
All the information willalways be on my Instagram page.
(49:38):
Everything is there onFacebook, on Instagram, we're on
YouTube.
So it's quite.
But on Instagram, that's thefirst place I post because most of
the people are from that area,you know, that I might.
My age group is really from 25to 60, 61, supposedly on.
(49:59):
On Instagram and Facebook.
When all the things come up,the profile of my business, well,
it's not business.
It's a lifestyle, I guess.
And, you know, I think maybebecause I don't ask anybody for anything,
that's the best part.
Because we seem to attractpeople that want to give for free,
you know, and.
(50:20):
And that's a gift.
It certainly is, Mark.
You do that.
That's what life's about.
And human beings.
Oh, my goodness.
So people can look up KimBelas B E L L A S. And obviously
sober is the new cool thatwill give people the direction they
need to head.
I love the name of yourorganization and your.
Your movement.
(50:41):
It's terrific.
And our White party is alwaysin May, and the International Recovery
Walk is always in Septemberfor International Recovery Day.
And the rest of the year,we're just here.
And you know, we'll findpeople for you to, you know, communicate
with, go for coffee with, gofor a walk, go for a run, do an art
(51:01):
class, do yoga, do whatever itis you're looking for.
And you know what?
We're just, we're just allreally blessed to know one another.
That's what I think.
Kim, you're a blessing withwhat you've done here.
This is terrific.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
Oh my God, you are amazing inevery way.
(51:22):
We hope you've enjoyed thislatest episode.
And if you want to hear moreepisodes of Women Road warriors or
learn more about our show, besure to check out womenroadwarriors.com
and please follow us on social media.
And don't forget to subscribeto our podcast on our website.
We also have a selection ofpodcasts Just for Women.
(51:42):
They're a series of podcastsfrom different podcasters.
So if you're in the mood forwomen's podcasts, just click the
Power network tab onwomenroadwarriors.com youm'll have
a variety of shows to listento anytime you want to.
Podcasts Made for Women WomenRoad warriors is on all the major
podcast channels like Apple,Spotify, Amazon, Audible, YouTube
(52:03):
and others.
Check us out and please followus wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thanks for listening.
You've been listening to WomenRoad warriors with Shelly Johnson
and Kathy Tucaro.
If you want to be a guest onthe show or have a topic or feedback,
email us@sjohnsonomenroadwarriors.com.
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